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Mitra
Mitra is the name used by a Chelaxian cult to refer to the deity they worship. According to them, Mitra is a new Goddess, formed from the spirit of a creature of unknown origin, which spent their entire life encaged (either literally or metaphorically; the story changes in the retelling) and thereby discovered the secret to divinity, ascending to another, previously-undiscovered, plane of existence. Dogma Mitra advocates personal freedom above all else, and believes that, as much as is possible, all beings deserve to live free from oppression and restraint. However, true freedom requires responsibility, and Mitra encourages all her followers to better themselves, particularly in the realm of knowledge and experience. Her doctrine holds that worldly beings are the fallen form of something greater, and the greater breadth and intensity of experience and sensation a person experiences, the closer they come to 'remembering' their former selves and ascending to their rightful place as divine. History Before her Ascension Mitra began her existence as a mortal creature. Precisely what type of mortal creature she was varies widely depending on the person relating the myth. Some insist that she was a cloistered Kelesh princess, confined her entire life inside the lonely walls of her father's desert mansion. Others say she was a Chelish slave, kept in chains until the day she died. Still others preach that she was an animal, an exotic bird in a gilded cage, or some manner of fiend, bound by an infernal compact with her lord. The professed origin, race, and demeanor of Mitra tend to vary widely from Cultist to Cultist, and it's become commonplace among the Cult of Mitra to alter and embellish the story to suit one's audience, much as a bard might retell an epic fable. If pressed on this, the Cultists will tend to say that every story they tell is true - we are all, after all, encaged in one manner or another, and, so the Cult says, one day we will all throw off our chains and ascend, as Mitra did, and become one with her on the Still Plane. After her Ascension Very little is known about the precise mechanism by which Mitra came to inherent a measure of Divinity. In any case, she does not appear to be fully divine, as the Gods and Goddesses of the Inner Sea are. She does not have Clerics, in any proper sense, though particularly devoted members of her Cult may find themselves inheriting a measure of divine power. However, the rapid advance of her Cult seems to be coupled with a rapid growth in the power and capabilities of the newly-minted Goddess. Relationships Mitra has possessed her meager Divinity for only several years - barely a blink of the eye on the scale that most Gods and Goddesses operate on - and thus has not had time to make any serious enemies. However, those few Chelaxian spellcasters who have had the dubious honor of summoning Accuser Devils since Mitra's Ascension have found many of them oddly obsessed with gaining information on the Cult, suggesting its appearance has caused some ripples within the court of the Prince of Hell. Realm According to the Cult of Mitra, Mitra resides on the Still Plane, which is less a separate plane in the sense that most would think of the Outer Planes, and more a demiplane coterminous to our own, somewhat like the Shadow Plane. It intersects with the Material Plane at all possible points, but never overlaps. It may also be understood as a higher state of consciousness, attainable by the mind independently of the body, with the body remaining on the Material Plane. It is said to be a realm of perfect understanding and knowledge, with no practical physical or mental boundaries between individuals. Reaching the Still Plane is a difficult proposition that requires years of devotion and careful study, and as such, other than Mitra herself, only two people, both dedicated Priestesses of Mitra, are known to have reached the Still Plane. Only one returned. Whether this indicates that the other Cultist ascended to become one with their Goddess, or met another fate entirely, is unknowable. Providence Mitra does not interact with mortals on any level that they can perceive - with a handful of notable exceptions - which is explained by her followers as a function of her status as an embodiment of the Still Plane, and her detractors as evidence of her lack of Divinity or even her nonexistence. Relics The only holy text of Mitra in widespread circulation at the moment is By the Light of the Moon by the Priestess Mara Grey, one of the two mortals ever known to have visited the Still Plane. It is not a particularly academic text, and does not purport to be of divine origin - it is simply a text laying out the philosophy and practices of the Cult in a way most can understand. Its most popular chapter is the section laying out the more lurid aspects of the Cult's obediences in exacting detail. Mitra's holy symbol is that of a red circle, representing the moon, with a stylized five-pointed star adorning the center. Ideally, the symbol should be drawn in one's own blood.